Hagia Sophia

by Thomas Cohen
published on 19 November 2015

The Third Hagia Sophia, In 2013 | © Arild Vågen/WikiCommons

Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, constructed between 532 and 537 CE, continues to be revered as one of the most important
structures in the world. Hagia Sophia (Greek Ἁγία Σοφία, for ‘Holy Wisdom') was designed to be the major basilica of
the Byzantine Empire and held the record for the largest dome in the world until the Duomo was built in Florence in
the 15th century. Additionally, Hagia Sophia became more important with time as subsequent architects became
inspired by the dome when building later churches and mosques.

Construction and design

After the Nika Riots of 532 CE destroyed the previous basilica in Constantinople, Emperor
Justinian sought to create the greatest basilica in the Roman Empire. He charged two
architects, Anthemios of Tralles and Isidore of Miletus to create a structure worthy of the
capital of the Roman Empire. The architects, who were primarily mathematicians, made
use of new architectural concepts in order to build exactly what the emperor wanted. In
order to create the largest interior space possible, they designed an enormous dome and
supported it using a revolutionary construction method called pendentives. Hagia Sophia
makes use of four triangular pendentives which allow for the weight of the circular dome
to transition to a square supporting superstructure below without massive pillars or
columns interrupting the internal space.
The enormous dome is supported using a revolutionary construction method.

The dimensions of the extant structure show Hagia Sophia’s near

square shape: length 269 feet (81 m), width 240 feet (73 m). The
cupola of the current dome hovers 180 feet (55 m) above the
mosaic floor. The structure and first dome, which partially
collapsed in 557, were first completed in 537. The second dome,
designed with structural ribs and a greater arc than the previous
dome, was designed by the nephew of one of the original architects,
Isidore the Younger.
Isidore the Younger was faced with fixing several issues that had
caused the original dome to collapse. First, during the original
construction, the bricklayers had heedlessly applied more mortar
than brick. Additionally, in the rush to complete the original dome, they had not waited for a layer of mortar to set

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before applying the next level of bricks. This caused structural problems that were only exacerbated by a dome which
was too shallow. When a dome’s arc is round enough the weight and force of the structure descends down into the
supporting piers. However, the original dome’s arc was too shallow, thereby, pushing outward and forcing the already
weakened walls to give. To fix these problems Isidore the Younger increased the height of the dome, which increased
the arc and depth, and added 40 ribs to provide support. Before these improvements, however, he was forced to
rebuild much of the original walls and semi-domes in order to make the new dome last longer than the first. The
magnificence of Hagia Sophia is recorded throughout the centuries as shown in this description by a 9 th- century
patriarch of Constantinople named Photios:

It is as if one were stepping into heaven itself with no one standing in the way at any point; one is
illuminated and struck by the various beauties that shine forth like stars all around. Then
everything else seems to be in ecstasy and the church itself seems to whirl around.

Hagia Sophia, ceiling

Interior decoration
The interior of Hagia Sophia was innovative in its decoration as well. The interior is lined with enormous marble slabs
which may have been chosen and designed to imitate moving water. The central dome is floated on a ring of windows
and supported by two semi-domes and two arched openings. This creates an enormous uninterrupted nave. The
pendentives were covered with enormous mosaics of six winged angels called hexapterygon. The two arched openings
are supported by massive porphyry columns which descend all the way to the floor. Originally the nave was lined with
intricate Byzantine mosaics which portrayed scenes and people from the Gospels.

Hagia Sophia becomes a mosque

After conquering Constantinople in 1453, Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II immediately went
to the Hagia Sophia and ordered that it be converted into a mosque. This was a
successful endeavor, and it has remained a mosque ever since. In the following century,
the architect Sinan was commissioned to make restorations and add Islamic elements to
the building. After the Conquest, many of the mosaics were covered over with Islamic
calligraphy and only rediscovered in the 20th century after
the secularization of Turkey (Hagia Sophia became a
museum in 1935). This includes the mosaic on the main
dome which was probably a Christ Pantocrator (All-
Powerful) which spanned the whole ceiling and is now
covered by remarkable gold calligraphy. On the floor of the nave there is the Omphalion
(navel of the earth), a large circular marble slab which is where the Roman and Byzantine
Emperors were coronated. One of the final additions the Ottoman Sultans made to finalize
the transition from Christian basilica to Islamic mosque was the inclusion of eight massive
medallions hung on columns in the nave which have Arabic calligraphy inscribed upon
them with the names of Allah, the Prophet, the first four Caliphs, and the Prophet’s two

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grandsons. The Ottomans also added a mihrab 1 (on the left above, mihrab in Hagia Sophia)), a minbar 2 (on the right
above, minbar in Hagia Sophia) and four enormous minarets in order to complete the transition to a mosque.

Hagia Sophia Becomes A Museum

The Hagia Sophia was used as a church for 916 years and as a mosque for 481 years. In 1934, by order of Mustafa
Kemal Atatürk and the decision of the Council of Ministers, it was converted into a museum and since then, has been
open to visitors.

Influence on later architects

The daring genius of the architects made use of pendentives and tympana on a scale not previously envisioned. Their
use of innovative techniques include a brick aggregate that is lighter and more plastic than solid stone or concrete
which allowed for the dome to create an internal space not surpassed in Western Europe for 1,000 years. Additionally,
after the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the genius of Hagia Sophia’s architects continued to dominate the conquering
Ottomans who made use of the designs for their mosques. The Ottomans conquered the city, but the artistic culture of
the Byzantines, in a way, conquered the Ottomans.

The most famous Ottoman architect, Sinan, was directly influenced by Hagia Sophia and other Byzantine structures.
Working in the time of Suleyman the Magnificent, Sinan designed numerous imperial mosques and other structures
with the same hemispherical dome-supported pendentives upon parallel semi-domes and walls. A layout and design
certainly inspired by Hagia Sophia.

Later Ottoman mosques were equally influenced by Hagia Sophia. The

Blue Mosque, for example, preserves a layout inspired by Hagia Sophia
that builds upon its innovations of pendentives and semi-domes to create
internal space. Additionally, Islam’s use of geometric shapes and
patterns, as opposed to Orthodox’s use of icons, also finds continuity in
Greco-Roman-Byzantine’s use of geometry in sacred architecture as
mentioned previously. In fact, the very same Sinan who built the
Suleymaniye also worked to repair the millennium-old Hagia Sophia
during the reign of Selim II.

In addition to the impact Hagia Sophia has had on Ottoman architecture, it also inspired and influenced Greek and
Russian Orthodox architecture for centuries. Victoria Hammond, author of Visions of Heaven: The Dome in European
Architecture, in particular, suggests that Russian Orthodox basilicas in Moscow and Kiev were directly inspired by
early Muscovite contact with Constantinople in the 10th century.

Despite the finality of the transition from Byzantine to Ottoman with the removal of the Christian icons Hagia Sophia
continued in its function as a sacred space as a mosque called Ayasofya. Even today Hagia Sophia maintains its
position as a sacred space, despite its current position as a secular museum, because of what it inspires, what it
symbolizes, and the effects it creates on visitors. The original architects’ vision of a structure as the synthesis of
religion and mathematics determines the impact it has on the viewer. And in return, it is the impact that Hagia Sophia
has on the eye which determines its lasting importance and beauty. Its scale, symbolism and transcendence of the
construction material demonstrate what Justinian said when it was first completed in 537, “O, Solomon, I have
outdone thee!”

Note: Editorial Review This Article has been reviewed for accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards prior to
publication.

1
Mihrab is a semi-circular niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the qibla; that is, the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca and
hence the direction that Muslims should face when praying. The wall in which a mihrab appears is thus the "qibla wall".
2
Minbar (is a pulpit in the mosque where the imam (prayer leader) stands to deliver sermons
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